Month: February 2025

Beyoncé made history at the Grammys when Cowboy Carter won the award for Best Country Album, making her the first Black artist to ever claim the honor. It certainly wasn’t a given, as in the category, she was up against Chris Stapleton’s Higher, Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind, Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion, and Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well.

Speaking of Musgraves, a video of her reaction to Beyoncé’s win generated some attention online: She sports a relatively blank expression in the clip, which had some thinking that Musgraves was upset about the outcome.

Now, though, a representative for Musgraves has spoken out, telling E!, “It’s a sensationalistic false narrative meant to pit two talented female artists against each other. There was simply no scowl or expression made.”

In a 2024 interview, Musgraves spoke about Beyoncé and other artists making their way to country music, saying, “The more the f*cking merrier. I don’t really care. It doesn’t affect what I’m doing. It doesn’t affect me. I’ve always been just doing my own thing. It’s just fun to watch.”

Meanwhile, a Cowboy Carter collaborator seemed to indicate last year that Musgraves nearly ended up contributing to the project, although a Beyoncé/Musgraves collab has yet to come to light.

Sam Presti is one of the NBA’s best executives and clearly has an incredible eye for talent, both in the draft and via trade. Sam Presti also has an addiction to acquiring draft picks and I believe it is time for an intervention.

After entering a full-fledged rebuild by trading away Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Chris Paul (acquired for Westbrook), and others, the Thunder acquired picks at an alarming rate. Currently, the Thunder either own outright or have swap rights to nine first round picks from other teams and have 12 second round picks from other teams through 2030, while also controlling all of their own first and second round picks in that time period. It is, frankly, outrageous how many future picks they control and they’ve used a ton of them in recent to build out their current roster that is first in the West.

At this point you would think Presti and the Thunder would be done with their pursuit of picks, but he simply cannot help himself as evidenced by the official Sickos Trade of the 2025 Deadline that got done late Monday night between the Thunder and Hornets that will send Oklahoma City the Nuggets’ 2030 second round pick and Charlotte will get the Suns’ 2029 second round pick.

I just want to know how this trade, that features nothing else — no money, players, rights, anything — changing hands, just second round picks belonging to other teams four and five years into the future, even happens. What is that conversation even like? How did it start? What else was discussed? Did one of them have this idea and call to make it happen specifically, or did they just come up with this while discussing other things?

At this point I feel like Presti might just be trolling everyone and coming up with the most ridiculous draft pick swaps he can imagine. I will say, this being the trade the Thunder make after the league-shaking Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade and the three-team De’Aaron Fox-Zach LaVine blockbuster is objectively hilarious.

Although she broke her retirement from music vow, Noname proves she will always make good on her community outreach promises. Yesterday (February 2), the “Namesake” rapper revealed that her Noname’s Book Club and Radical Hood Library were in jeopardy due to a lack of funding.

Well, supporters heard Noname’s online plea and jumped to action. Today (February 3) in an emotional post on Instagram (viewable here), Noname revealed that was no longer the case after folks rushed to meet the Noname’s Book Club and Radical Hood Library’s fundraising goals.

Read Noname’s full statement below.

Never in my life will I ever again doubt the power of community. In less than 24 hours, we made it to our goals! February was slated to be the month we closed operations due to a lack of funds. Now, I’m sitting here crying tears of joy. I can’t thank y’all enough.

We asked for a Black History Month miracle and that’s exactly what we got. Sending everyone so much love.

However, stressed that even with their financial needs met they are still a ways off from expansion.

“After my post yesterday I got many requests from you all to add your incarcerated family/friends to our books-to-prison program,” she wrote. “Truth is we made just enough to stay open but not enough to reopen our waiting list.”

According to Noname, there are still 300 incarcerated people on the waiting list. Find more information here about the Noname’s Book Club and Radical Hood Library.

Last year, the leading pop ladies were thrown into an unwarranted competition fueled by fans. But, users online claimed Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo’s tension was due to a romantic entanglement–and not music related. Yesterday (February 2), both singers put those rumors to bed during the 2025 Grammy Awards.

Although the ladies did not walk the carpet together, they found each other inside. In a now-viral clip (viewable here), Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo can be seen warmly embracing one another. For years, users online have speculated that the two had built-up tension around their supposed romantic entanglements with Joshua Bassett.

Back in 2021, fans claimed Rodrigo’s breakout smash “Drivers License,” was about Bassett’s intimate relationship with Carpenter. “And you’re probably with that blonde girl / Who always made me doubt / She’s so much older than me / She’s everything I’m insecure about,” sings Rodrigo.

But, Rodrigo denial of the rumor was ignored once Carpenter supporters claimed she issued a response of on own within the record, “Skin.”

“Maybe we could’ve been friends / If I met you in another life / Maybe then we could pretend / There’s no gravity in the words we write / Maybe you didn’t mean it / Maybe blonde was the only rhyme / The only rhyme,” sings Carpenter.

Carpetenter tried to kill the fan theory by shutting down that claim as well. Fast-forward to the 2025 Grammys, maybe their embrace will finally do the trick.

T.I., Tiny Harris, and the OMG Girlz are saying show me the money. Back in September 2024, the entertainers won their copyright infringement lawsuit against O.M.G. Doll’s toy company MGA. However, last month their courtroom victory faced another hurdle.

The presiding judge issued a tentative order that questioned the amount rewarded to the parties–specifically the punitive damages. Now, according to journalist Meghann Cuniff, that decision has been rescinded. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Cuniff released paperwork that confirmed T.I., Tiny Harris, and the OMG Girlz will be granted their jury awarded $53.6 million in punitive damages as well as their $17.9 million in actual damages.

“Upon consideration of the evidence, the Courts grants disgorgement of profits of $17,872,252 under common law misappropriation, and affirms the jury’s award of punitive damages of $53,616,759,” read the filing attributed to U.S. District Court Judge James V. Selna.

The judge previously argued that the punitive damages should not be rewarded “there isn’t enough evidence of bad faith” from the toymaker.

During the trial, lawyers for T.I. Tiny, and the OMG Girlz (comprised of Tiny’s daughter Zonnique Pullins, Bahja “Beauty” Rodriguez, and Breaunna “Babydoll” Womack) accused MGA of “cultural appropriation and outright theft” for lifting the once popular girl group’s likeness for their collectibles.

T.I. Tiny, nor the OMG Girlz have issued a statement regarding the judge’s recent decision.

Sadly for Benson Boone, he did not take home a trophy during the 2025 Grammy Awards. But the “Beautiful Things” singer’s performance during the Best New Artist segment, Boone made won over viewers at-home for another reason.

The Grammys are no stranger to controversial moments from featured entertainers. During yesterday’s (February 2) ceremony, Benson Boone’s set sparked an endless amount of online suitors thanks to his skin tight soft blue bedazzled bodysuit. With his bulge on full display, Boone quickly take a moment to relive himself from the fabric friction. Unfortunately, that did not sit well with some viewers. After the show, Boone took to his Instagram stories (viewable here, courtesy of People) to issue an apology.

“Sorry for adjusting my jumpsuit so aggressively on stage tonight,” he wrote. “That thing was aggressively restricting in certain areas.”

Boone’s high-flying flips matched with his superhero like stage wear has made him a running meme online. But Boone’s get-up wasn’t the only outfit from the 2025 Grammys to cause a tizzy online. Kanye West (Ye) and his wife, designer Bianca Censori set a censorship storm on the red carpet, when Censori showed up nearly nude.

Watch Benson Boone’s performance of “Beautiful Things” at the 2025 Grammy Awards here.

INDIANAPOLIS — WWE is defined by eras. From the Attitude Era on the men’s side to the Diva’s Revolution on the women’s side, the pivotal moments that make up each era is woven across the storylines that dominate television.

Over the last five years, the Bloodline’s story has transcended an individual storyline or moment in time. Rather, it has evolved and carried momentum as members of the family — both by birth and chosen (looking at you, Sami Zayn) — break off into their own respective journeys. From a thousand-foot view, the Bloodline’s impact can be felt far and wide across the men’s division, retaining either the focal point or at the very least playing a significant role in many stories simultaneously.

This era — the Bloodline Era — isn’t built around one individual, rather a collective of stories that evolve over time.

“I’m not here to try to claim or name whatever this timeframe is,” Reigns told media at a WWE 2K event on Saturday, when asked if this is the Bloodline Era of WWE.

“That’s the beauty of where we are with the internet and the connectivity and the community aspect of our fanbase. So it’s kind of on you all to determine that. But I don’t think you can go wrong with saying it’s the Bloodline Era, the Tribal Chief Era. We are the center of the storm, we make everything happen. All roads run through us, even Cody Rhodes.”

Reigns is correct, almost everything in the current men’s WWE universe runs through the Bloodline. For the last five years, Reigns has been the root of the Bloodline universe. He’s been the quarterback, directing his family to do business on his behalf or to help him continue his historic Universal Championship reign. The conclusion of WrestleMania 40 signaled the conclusion of what is likely the first chapter, the end of the first inning in a story that has legs to carry onward.

Before the Men’s Royal Rumble match took center stage over the weekend, Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens battled to a bloody conclusion in a brutal ladder match built around a broken down friendship stemming from Rhodes aligning with Reigns. Zayn is now inserted into that rivalry, with ties to all parties.

The end of the men’s Rumble was riddled with branches of the Bloodline story flowing in different directions. CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, Reigns, Jacob Fatu, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, LA Knight, and Damian Priest all have played varying roles in moving the story forward. Absent Logan Paul, the entire conclusion of the Rumble sets the stage for new chapters to be written.

There’s no bigger next chapter than “WrestleMania Main Event” Jey Uso, a star born near the beginning of this Bloodline journey, who has an opportunity to transcend into the true main event level after winning the Royal Rumble. He has massive potential, is a crossover mega star paired with some of entertainment’s biggest names and gets huge reactions.

The road to WrestleMania has officially begun and Jey has a decision to make on his path forward. Whether he crosses into Rhodes’ territory, reignites a feud with Gunther, or his path to heavyweight gold takes yet another twist in the winding journey to Allegiant Stadium, all roads run through the Bloodline.

Yesterday (February 2), music’s biggest night went off without a hitch. While the 2025 Grammy Awards were filled with record-breaking wins (Beyoncé, Doechii, and Kendrick Lamar) and stellar performances (Doechii and Sabrina Carpenter), there is one moment that has left viewers talking–and it isn’t related to the broadcast.

Before the event’s start, Kanye West (Ye) and his wife, designer Bianca Censori made a splash on the red carpet. The couple’s signature minimalist (less is more) fashion trend continued. This go around Censori let it all hang out (literally) with a NSFW sheer dress. However, the pair never made it inside of Crypto.com Arena. Now, Ye is addressing the rumor he and Censori were escorted out due to Censori’s risqué outfit.

Over on Instagram in a now-deleted post (captured by TMZ), Ye slammed Don Lemon for supposedly starting the rumor. “This the goofball that started the rumor that me and my wife got kicked out of the Grammys,” he wrote. “Three decades of innovating music and they always k*on like this.”

Lemon wasn’t the only entity to make the claim. In a now-deleted post, ET also echoed the same sentiment. At this time, Don Lemon has not responded to Ye’s online statement.

When the new CBA went into effect, there were some who wondered if it would spell the end of dramatic NBA trade deadlines. This weekend gave us an emphatic answer to that question as Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis got traded for each other and then the Spurs, Kings, and Bulls agreed to a huge trade to send De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio and Zach LaVine to Sacramento.

Those moves sent shockwaves around the league, and with just a few days left until Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline, there are a ton of storylines left to play out. Here, we are going to look at 10 that are particularly interesting to me going into the deadline as the league still tries to get its bearings after this weekend’s seismic activity.

Will the Warriors get their second star?

The Warriors pursuit of another All-Star to pair with Stephen Curry has been going on for the better part of a year. They’ve been connected to talks about LeBron James, Paul George, Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine, Jimmy Butler, and others dating back to last deadline, but to this point they’ve not pulled the trigger on a deal. They have, to this point, been unwilling to part with their top young talent or multiple picks in a trade, but after the Lakers landed Doncic it seems there’s an added impetus in the Golden State building to make a splash of their own. On Monday, we heard that they’ve called around the league trying to gauge the availability of just about every All-Star caliber player.

Among the names thrown out as potential Warriors targets are Butler, George, James, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and old friend Kevin Durant. Some of those feel more realistic than others, but if there’s one thing that will push an owner who has been on the fence about going all-in to make a move, it’s seeing their rivals dominating headlines with the most shocking trade in NBA history. For that reason more than anything on the court, I expect the Warriors to get a deal done, I just have no idea who it’ll be for — and right now it seems no one else is sure either.

Who is going to trade for Jimmy Butler?

Butler still wants the Suns, but they can’t make a trade for him because Bradley Beal is still indicating he’s not waiving his no-trade clause. In the absence of a more shocking move (more on that in a bit), there’s no path for Phoenix to get Butler. The Warriors, Grizzlies, and Bucks have all registered documented interest in Butler despite his insistence he won’t re-sign with any of them — and outright statement he doesn’t want to play in Memphis at all — but it’s not clear if any of those conversations have come close to a resolution. At this point, I don’t see Butler yielding a much better return than what the Bulls got for Zach LaVine, which was mostly expiring salary filler and their own pick (that was top-10 protected) returned to them. That means a lot of teams, theoretically, could be in play for him on a one-year rental. His expiring contract won’t scare off teams if the price to get him isn’t very high, and if anything, some will see it as a way to clear the books for the immediate future while making a push right now.

Will the Spurs add another big name now or wait until this summer?

The Spurs trading for Fox indicated they’re ready to take a leap into playoff contention in the West, but they still need more between Fox and Wembanyama to be a real threat. The good news is, they didn’t have to trade any of their best assets to land Fox, and still have all of their major contracts and a ton of draft picks to still go after some upgrades. I think they’ll want to see how Fox and Wemby look before chasing another max-type superstar, but they have enough financial flexibility and a large enough draft stash that they could take a swing on someone like Nets forward Cam Johnson this week and still be able to keep their options open for a star in the near future.

Are the Suns going to do something dramatic?

If Beal won’t waive his no-trade, the Suns don’t have an obvious path to making a big move. But at 25-23 with a hysterical tax bill on the horizon, they may consider taking note of what Dallas just did and look at resetting a bit, while still trying to compete. I think everyone around the league took note of the Mavs fan backlash to the Doncic trade, and for that reason I do not think the Suns will even consider moving Devin Booker right now. However, Kevin Durant is still highly valuable and could yield a big return that could create some needed flexibility for the Suns if they wanted to pursue that.

Jake Fischer reported on Monday on The Stein Line that the Suns are not trying to actively shop Durant, but are at least willing to listen to offers. Whether it’s the Warriors or a team like Houston, who reportedly tried to pursue a KD trade this summer, the Suns will at least have to seriously consider what their options are, because this current group is simply not working out as intended.

How big will the Lakers swing to fill the hole at center?

Everyone in L.A. is still processing the Doncic-Davis trade, but one thing is certain: the Lakers have to add a center by Thursday. Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko just isn’t gonna get it done in the West, and they figure to be very active over the next few days canvassing the league to see what the cost is for various bigs on the market. The question is whether they look to take a big swing or if they’ll just simply look to find a replacement level center who can protect the rim behind a dynamic duo of Doncic and James. The good news for the Lakers is there seem to be plenty of centers out there on the market, whether that’s Jonas Valanciunas, Clint Capela, Nikola Vucevic, Robert Williams III, Mitchell Robinson, Nic Claxton, or someone else. The problem for the Lakers right now is they likely aren’t going to get anyone at a discount, as the entire league knows they’re desperate for a big man, so while they seemingly got a deal on Doncic, they may have to pay a premium for a big man.

Will anyone in the East make a big move?

Most all of the chatter right now is about the teams out West, and that’s not surprising when you look at the makeup of the Eastern Conference. The Cavs are playing at an insane level and want to give this group at least one more postseason run together. The Celtics, even with their recent rough patch, are the defending champs and figure to give this group a chance at running it back in hopes they’ll wake up once it’s playoff time. The Knicks made their big trade just before camp in acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns and don’t really have a way to make another splashy move.

That means any major move is going to need to come from a team in the middle. However, there aren’t a lot of options there either. Indiana made their big move last year to acquire Pascal Siakam and it’s hard to see where they’d make another splash. The Bucks pop up in a lot of rumors, but are extremely restricted with the second apron and it seems more likely they make a move for a starter but not a star (but they are still apparently in the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes). The Heat, Hawks, and Bulls are all going to be sellers, not buyers, at the deadline barring something truly shocking. The Sixers are also in second apron hell, and it’s not clear what a big move for them would even look like at this point unless it’s swapping out Paul George for Jimmy Butler (or something of the sort).

That leaves, basically, the Pistons and the Magic as teams that could make a real run at someone, but neither team has indicated they’re in the mood to skip steps in their build. Perhaps that changes if the right guy becomes available in the next few days, but it certainly seems like most of the activity this week is going to be West teams buying and East teams selling or making moves on the margins.

How much pressure will other West playoff contenders feel to be more aggressive?

There are a handful of teams that have been relatively absent from the chatter coming into deadline week, but after the moves made by the Lakers, Mavs, and Spurs — and with the Warriors signaling they’re going to at least try to make a big deal — I wonder if we see anything major from anyone else in the West that hasn’t yet been brought up.

The Thunder may be the only team that will feel truly unaffected by the Doncic deal, as they seem very secure in their position atop the West and, like the Cavs in the East, will want to see what this version of the team can do come playoff time. The Rockets had, by all accounts, decided they would do the same, but if, say, Kevin Durant is now no longer an impossibility, will they look to make a splash? The Grizzlies are known to be interested in Jimmy Butler despite him not wanting to be there, but perhaps they expand their search for a star wing in the coming days. There was scuttle awhile back about the Nuggets having interest in Zach LaVine, who is now in Sacramento, but could they explore other avenues to shake things up and move Michael Porter Jr.? The Clippers made a small move on the margin in a trade with the Jazz, but Steve Ballmer might see the crosstown rival Lakers dominating headlines and at least take a look at what their options are. Apron restrictions make it tough for the Timberwolves to do much, but there has to be real concern teams behind them (Spurs/Mavs/Warriors) in the standings are going to close the gap.

No one can think about their position in the standings quite the same way they did last Friday, and we’ll see if this weekend’s blockbusters trigger an arm’s race out West.

Will the Mavs look to shuffle their supporting cast?

Dallas may not be done dealing. As my colleague Bill DiFilippo pointed out this week, the Mavs have built their roster to maximize Luka Doncic’s skills — largely with non-playmaking 3-and-D floor-spacers on the wings. While Kyrie Irving will take on a larger playmaking role, they’re now without a lot of on-ball talent and one wonders if they’ll look to address that in the next few days to reshape the roster in accordance to what their new star duo of Irving and Davis do best.

How much more will the Bulls look to sell?

The Bulls finally began their teardown with the LaVine trade, as they brought back mostly filler — with the hope that Kevin Huerter can regain his form and become A Guy again — and recouped their first round pick from San Antonio. You don’t make a move to get secure your own pick (even if it was top-10 protected) without wanting to maximize that pick, and we’ll see what else Chicago has planned. Nikola Vucevic seems like a lock to get moved, but teams will at least call and ask about some others on the roster. Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu are both having very solid years, and while neither of them are old, if the Bulls could decide they’d rather strip it down all the way and load up their draft pick cupboard, those two are your best bet to get real assets back.

Are the Pelicans going to tear it down?

Speaking of teardowns, the Pelicans have had the season from hell on the injury front, most recently seeing Dejounte Murray’s year come to a premature end with a torn Achilles. Last year, the Grizzlies held firm on their group in a similar disaster scenario and have bounced back to be a top team in the West, but they also were starting from a much loftier position. This Pelicans team has never finished above the Play-In as constructed, so is it really worth wandering through a lost season in hopes of running it back next year? Brandon Ingram remains very available, but at this point they have to be considering getting out of the Zion Williamson business as well — especially after seeing the Mavs set a little precedent on moving a star, with a far better resume, due in part to conditioning concerns. CJ McCollum joked about having his bags packed after the Doncic trade, but if the Pelicans are shifting their focus forward, he certainly isn’t a long-term solution in New Orleans and maybe a team like Orlando would look at him as a mid-tier upgrade that wouldn’t require an all-in move.

So far in 2025, the top of the Billboard Hot 100 has been dominated by songs from before the current year. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” was the year’s first No. 1 song, and then Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ 2024 collab “Die With A Smile” spent the next four weeks on top.

Now, though, we have our first No. 1 song from 2025: On the new Hot 100 chart dated February 8, Travis Scott’s “4X4,” which was released as a single on January 24, debuts at No. 1.

The song is Scott’s fifth to top the chart and his fourth to debut at No. 1. His previous No. 1’s are “Franchise,” “The Scotts,” “Highest In The Room,” and “Sicko Mode” (the one here that didn’t debut at No. 1).

Meanwhile, Shaboozey is making a bit of history on this week’s chart. While “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has so far fallen short of breaking the all-time record for most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, it is No. 1 on the Radio Songs chart for a 27th week. This breaks a tie with The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” and makes it now the longest-running No. 1 in the history of the radio chart. The song also leads the Hot Country Songs chart for a 33rd week.